Don't blame the breed, says mother of girl attacked by pit bull

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HAZEL DELL, Wash. - A 3-year-old girl is recovering at a hospital following a pit bull attack and while her mother wants the dog put down, she said she doesn't blame the breed.

"Honestly, I don't think it matters what kind of a dog or what breed, or the timing, it just can happen," said Jenna Robbins. "I would never say it's because of a pit bull or because of this. Because honestly, I owned one and she was the most beautiful thing ever. I think it's how you treat your dogs and how you raise them."

The attack happened at a duplex in the 3700 block of Northeast 80th Street in Hillsboro.

The pit bull belongs to a friend of a man who lives in the basement. The man's friend and the girl's family were both visiting the home when the dog bit the toddler in the face.

"I saw the mother cradling the daughter," said Anson Service, who lives next door. "The girl was all bloody and the mother was all bloody."

Robbins said the pit bull is an older dog.

"I love dogs," said neighbor Streifeo. "Dogs are nice, but to have a 3-year-old girl hurt - that's terrible. It scares me sometimes because dogs are unpredictable."

The traumatic experience happened less than six months after the family's house in Estacada burned to the ground. They lost everything, including their own pit bull.

Clark County Animal Services did respond to the duplex and is leading an investigation. We are waiting to hear back from them to learn more about what they plan to do following the attack.

Meanwhile, the girl is in good condition at the hospital, although Robbins said she will likely have scars for the rest of her life.

"She's crying, she's unhappy, she doesn't understand and she hurts," she said.

Robbins also said her daughter does not need rabies shots since the dog was current on its vaccinations.

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